ML20059L659
| ML20059L659 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/17/1990 |
| From: | Murley T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9009270242 | |
| Download: ML20059L659 (4) | |
Text
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SEP 17 Iglg HEMORANDUM FOR: James L. Blaha, Assists.nt for Operations Office of the Executive Director for Operations FROM:
Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
STATUS OF QUALITY MEASURES IN NRR As you requested by your memorandum of July 23, 1990, I have enclosed a report on the status of the NRR quality measures initially discussed in SECY.90 85.
Wiginal signed by shamasE.F.urley Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
Status Report cc:
R. Bernero, NtiSS E. Beckjord, RES E. Jordan, AE0D J. Lieberman, OE P. Norry, IRM E. Halman, ADM R. Scroggins, OC P. Bird, OP
- 8. Hayes, 01 W. Kerr, OSDBU/CR M.. Springer, CONS DIS 1RIBUT10N:
[ MEMO FOR JAMES L. BLAHA]
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OFFICIAL RECORD COPY.
i ENCLOSURE STATUS OF NRR QUALITY MEASURES AND INITIATIVES i
This report provides (1) the status of the quality improvement activities of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) addressed in SECY-90 85, including the progress made on the pilot program initiative for Total Quality Management (TQ",) and (2) a brief discussion of several continuing NRR quality
-initiatives.
SECY-90 85 Initiatives SECY-90 85 (March 12,1990), " Quality Measures in Staff Operations," reported on the measures that the NRC staff is taking to ensure quality in its j
operations, including the many institutional structures and processer that provide assurance and cross-checks that programs are effective and efficient.
In addition, SECY-90 85 reported on a review of the functions of each program office using a set of 13 quality principles proposed by NRR. The paper concluded that the NRC has implemented many processes to ensure.the quality of NRC staff 6perations and that these processes are resulting in some improve-ments.
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i in its fresh look for SECY-90 85 at the degree to which the NRR staff conducts L
operations in accordance with the set of 13 quality principles, the staff examined several specific activitifs and work products that are recognized as being important to NRR's function.
NRR found that the processes and guidance that are currently impiemented for these activities and work products are generally sound, but that some improvements are needed in structure, trainii.g, and the ability to measure progress against set objectives.
NRR listed the L
following six actions to be implemented to strengthen the quality of NRR
-operations:
1.
Revision of the office-level management and operations policies L
document to more fully describe the NRR quality program to all NRR employees and to focus on activities that the staff har developed j
since the April 1987 reorganization.
2.
Establishment of selection criteria with which to identify specific NP.R activities and work products that will be controlled by office directives, identification of these activities and work products, and establishment of the order of priority for comple-tion of those office directives.
3 Case studies were performed for the following NRR work products and
' activities:
technical specification amendments, design reviews (safety parameter display system reviews), generic letters and bulletins, information l
notices, inspection program development, inspection reports, operator license examination reports, the risk based inspection guide, safety evaluatien reports, the Technical Specification Improvement Program, and the bimonthly
("2 week") letter to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO).
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Development of an office directives system and reevaluation of the current system of office letters to ensure that_ the office.
1 directives system addresses all activities and work products meeting the selection criteria established previously in Action 2.
4.
Assignment of personnel to manage, control, and monitor implemen-tation'of the office directives system and to ensure the conduct of effective training on office directives.
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Assessment of the effectiveness of NRR operations using perfer-mance measures that will be established for-each major NRR organizational unit.
.5.
Initial training and periodic retraining of all NRR employees under the office director to ensure thorough understanding of the HRR quality program.
As stated in SECY-90 85,.NRR suspended the actions to revise the office level operating posicies document (Action 1) and to develop an office directives system (Actions 2 4) while exploring the possibility of using consultants to assist the staff in improving the quality of its operations. Because. Action 's depends on Actions 1-4, ER also suspended this action.
Action 5 requires that NRR develop a credible data system to be used by NRR management to track, control, and verify com)1etion of individual work products.
Since SECY-90 85 was issued, NRR ins continued to develop that data system (the Workload Information and Scheduling Program), but the system is not yet fully implemented.
As described in SECY 90 85, the NRR staf f held discussions wig ine FHeral Quality Institute of the Office of Personnel Management.
In addition, NRR staff talked with several private firms to examine options available tp the st.aff in beginning an effort to improve quality throughout the office.
From-these discussione., the staff learned the importance of shifting its focus from l
enhancing offic.e policy and directives to examining ways to improve its work 6
processes. NRR also learned the necessity to identify customers and sup-I pliers, define the products of individual organizational units, and possibly
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I use statistical control techniques to understand if processes are in control and improving. As-a result of its contacts with these private firms, the staff recognized that NRR could sossibly derive greater. improvement by applying the principles of TQM tinn by taking the limited approach to quality.
improvement outlined in SECY-90 85. As a result, the staff decided to delay implementation of the SECY-90 85 approach while more cicsely examining the applicability of the TQM process.
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rIn examining its options, that staff made contact with Ford Aerospace, the i
L George Washington University School of Government and Business Administra-tion, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Management Analysis Company (MAC), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC),- and Xerox Corporation.-
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- In a March 16, 1990, memorandum to James L. Blaha from James H. Sniezek, the NRR committed to support a TQM pilot project. The memorandum stated NRR was seeking a support contractor with TQM expertise and expected to train a limited number of employees and to apply TQM principles to several NRR processes.
In a memorandum to the Commissioners of April 12, 1990, the Executive Director for Operations indicated that NRR would conduct a pilot project for approximately 6 months to apply TQM.
By May 1990, NRR prepared a statement of work and provided the statement to loaho National Engineering Laboratory (EG&G Idaho, Inc.) as an extension of the ongoing effort to support NRR's Workload Information and Scheduling.
t Program. A dedicated NRR program manager was selected shortly thereafter for the TQM pilot effort and began working in the Policy Development and Technical Support Branch at the beginning of June 1990. On August 17, 1990. EC&G awarded a subcontract to Ford Aerospace in Seabrook, Maryland, to pr(vide technical assistance to NRR. The staff recently began working with the sub-l contractor through EG&G to prepare the project plan for the TQM pilo 2 project.
NRR recognized the importance of ensuring that the program manager and other NRR staff gain a deeper understanding of current TQM philosophy. The NRR program manager recently completed a three credit graduate-level course in TQM theories and application strategies at a local university. A project manager in the License Renewal Project Directorate also took this course. The technical assistance Ford Aerospace provides in the next few months will include management awareness training in TQM for NRR managers and NRR staff training.
2.
Other NRR Ouality Imorovement Initiatives L
The NRR quality improvement plan outlined in SCCY-90 85 was a starting point for the current approach, which is maturing with time and experience.
Based largely on experience with improvements over the last year and the need to improve processes and the definition of work expectations, the NRR staff postponed the actions outlined in SECY 90 85.
Despite the staff decision to postpone implementing the improvement plan recommended in SECY-90 85, the staff recognized that some useful quality improvement initiatives were already in progress. These initiatives are in i
areas (processes) fundamental to improved NRR operations, regardless of the details of the improvement scheme ultimately used office wide. The staff i
l decided to continue working in these areas while the possible benefits of the l
TQM process were explored further.
The more significant quality improvement i
initiatives the staff is implementing include licensing action inventory l
control (through efforts such as the Management Guidance Team, the Multiplant Action Review Program, and the Safety issues Management System Get-Well Plan),
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the regulatory impact survey, and development and implementation of a Workload Information and Scheduling Program system.
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